Ex-Roma defender Benatia questions lack of minutes for El Aynaoui

Mehdi Benatia has expressed his surprise at the limited game time Neil El Aynaoui has been afforded at Roma, while revealing he tried to bring the midfielder to Marseille before the Giallorossi stepped in.

The former Roma defender, who is now sporting director at Olympique Marseille, was speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport in a wide-ranging interview that touched on Italian football and his old club.

He reserved warm words for his compatriot.

“He’s very strong because he combines quality and quantity,” Benatia said of El Aynaoui, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb.

“I didn’t understand why he played less at Roma than I would have expected. I had tried to sign him for my Marseille, but he cost too much.”

The Morocco international still featured regularly in the Italian capital this season, racking up 34 appearances and contributing two goals and two assists across the campaign.

Former Roma man Benatia delivers heartfelt verdict on Italy’s World Cup absence

Benatia, who spent several years in Serie A, also turned to a subject close to him: Italy’s failure to reach the 2026 World Cup.

“It’s a huge loss, Italy is in my heart, it gave me everything,” he said.

“Unfortunately the reality is that the best Italian attackers are inferior to the reserves in France’s attacking department. I really hope Italy can turn things around quickly.”

It is a sobering assessment from a man who made his name in Italian football, and one that speaks to the wider soul-searching gripping the Azzurri as they sit out a major tournament once again.